Closed TABLE 4 | Sweethearts Tea Party V-Day Event

Eun-ji wasn’t sure how to feel when the mysterious invitation arrived but she definitely wasn’t excited. When she went to the Great hall, against her better judgement, she assumed the thank you notes would get to the boys without her being present. She didn’t do these types of things in front of other people. That was not how her family worked and so she wasn’t comfortable doing so in front of her friends either. She only dared to expose her feelings on a piece of paper. To be perfectly honest, the witch actually hoped neither of her friends would even comment on it, that they would store the information somewhere at the back of their mind and move on. This however, spelled trouble. Eun-ji wanted to assume it was something entirely different but the “We will be serving a wide array of sweets that have been specially hand-crafted by a special someone.” clearly indicated that the two events were connected. Maybe it will be just the sweets and tea? That still wouldn’t be ideal but it would be slightly better than having the letters there as well. “Why should I go? It’s not like I’m getting anything myself. Should I go just to suffer the embarrassment?” She asked her cat. Mordred meowed, sounding entirely uninterested. It was a nap time. The Ravenclaw huffed. “You are not helpful.” The cat of course, didn’t care.

Despite all her concerns though, Eun-ji had to admit, she was a bit intrigued. For most part, she succeeded in avoiding social interactions this year and while she enjoyed her alone time, there was a certain curiosity lurking in her subconscious. Should she at least go and check the event? It was not like she had anything better to do and since it took place in the Ballroom, she couldn’t go practice ballet either. It was a hard decision. The idea of Flash or Aaron being there was simultaneously welcome and terrifying. I suppose I can just turn around and leave if things get too uncomfortable. “I think I’ll go.” The witch announced to her furry companion. This time there was not even a meow, instead the cat looked at her with a clear “Why are you still bothering me woman?” expression. It was rather rude but also relatable so she couldn’t blame him.

And so, dressed in a lacy white dress, the girl fixed her hair and armed herself with a wand before venturing down to the Ballroom. It was a familiar path Eun-ji took often but where it used to be comforting, it felt incredibly stressful today. Her face was calm as usual but there was a raging battle going on underneath the surface. So he is here after all. Her brain recognized Flash immediately. In spite of all her worries, Eun-ji was happy to see the Slytherin. “Hi.” She smiled at the boy as she approached the table, sounding a tad more apprehensive than usual. Oh… The witch frowned a bit after noticing the papers he was holding, recognizing the colour she had chosen for his letter. The frown was fleeting though. Eun-ji didn’t want Flash to think she was unhappy with him. To her surprise there were also two letters seemingly addressed to her. Those were rewarded with a rather puzzled expression. Why would there be any? Should she read them or do it later? Leaving them alone for now, Eun-ji checked her box of pastries as well as the other names placed on the table. All of them sounded familiar but she didn’t really know any of them. Well this is bound to be awkward.. The cupcakes were left untouched as well when she sat down. They were certainly very…special…but considering her lack of sweet tooth, she would probably gift them to somebody else. “To be perfectly honest I only came for the tea so it better be good.” She gave the boy another smile before checking the name tags again. “Do you happen to know any of them?”

OPEN TO INTERACTION

───Interactions─── Reducio [font=century gothic] @Flash Holmwood @Eun-ji Lee Hunt [/font]

OUTFIT Reducio Chanel Spring 2022 Collection

────Mentions──── Reducio [font=century gothic] @Marshal Mozor @Winnie Harper @Opeila Winters @Percival Gray @Willow Anderson @Adlai Rod [/font]

This again. One might have thought she would have learned after last year's little "misunderstanding" that had resulted in her participating in the Valentine's picnic when she had intended to do nothing more than monitor attendants. This occasion had begun very much the same with a tell-tale invitation requesting her presence. As much as she might have hoped—and was almost tempted to believe in purposeful ignorance—that this was nothing more than an innocuous summons to address some sort of academic inquiry, she knew better. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, her initial reaction was to cast a darkened gaze across the intent of that letter, belligerently setting it fly with a flick of fore and middle finger to be banished to the back edge of her side table.

There it had languished for several nights, the lioness perfectly content to mentally blot this particular day from her day-book in its entirety. Until her mother had saw fit to obnoxiously intervene, anyway. Apparently, despite an agreement that the fourteenth of February was an overrated commercial endeavor, the classy thing to do was to play along. Particularly during times of stress and duress, she had explained, there was a great deal of weight to be placed in the little traditions of the masses. As a prefect and team captain, she had a duty to model expected behaviour; her peers might take note of her absence should she fail to make an appearance. There was nothing novel about these notions, of course. No grand revelation. Evelynn had been all too keenly aware of the importance of making a show of such occasions. But every now and then her mind did like to entertain the idea of being petulantly adverse.

* * *

On the day of the event, concern for the details of the occasion had been exchanged for those of vanity. If she was going to make an appearance, it had best be one remembered. With luck, it might even be a positive impression. The sting of embarrassment still burned hot on her brow with memory of a tea party of another time. Fortunately, few remained to recalled that travesty, and the perpetrator had long vanished. Even last year, with the games, had been somewhat juvenile, however. She wasn't exactly certain what she hoped for this time. Perhaps genial conversation over tea; perhaps even with a touch of gossip to spice it up... Even just an opportunity to develop her network and strengthen or lay new foundations with her peers would be a welcome relief. After all, had there ever even been an event—for her—that hadn't been cut prematurely to a close?

But never mind failures of the past. Now seemed as good a time as any to reclaim control and command the direction of this and future events. And she had just the outfit for the occasion. While true, it was still technically winter, spring was around the corner. Valentine's Day symbolized—for many—a turning point. It was a day when people found the courage to take risks, for better or for worse, and come out changed regardless of the outcome. If this was to be a renewal, she would lean into her own personal little theme. Often one to cloak herself in subdued tones and shades of grey, she would reach for colour. Instead of rigid and angular cuts, flowing fabric would clothe her features. Geometric patterns would give way to organic faunal formations. This season—this year—had been something of a transitionary period, one where she had been forced to distance herself from some of the ties that had, until now, been the closest. If this was to be her chrysalis, she would do her best to emerge a better version of herself.

She could think of no better way to portray this inner fervour than with one of Chanel's runway pieces. Bright colours and sheer textiles draped from her figure, modest in its coverage, but cinched at her waist in a way to hint at developing curves. Knee-length, open-cut sleeves hung from her shoulders more like a cape—or wings—than anything actually functional. And her hair had been straightened, complex braids at her temples serving to tame auburn tresses back to fall past her shoulders. To finish the look, gold orbs hung at her ears with a trio of matching bangles on one wrist. And quite uncharacteristically of the prefect, shimmering rose-gold and bronze dusted her eyelids, highlight bringing life to her cheeks, and a touch of pink moistening her lips. The makeup had been a gift from her mother for her birthday three days prior.

Never underestimate the impact of a pretty face, she had said. Evidently, a flattering amount of make-up applied just so could help magnify existing beauty.

Whether true or not, Evelynn couldn't quite be certain. She was by no means an expert in the field of application, and was taking something of a risk allowing this to be her debut into this next level of maturity. But why not? It seemed fitting. And she would wear it well—in confidence at the very least. Her entry into the ballroom would be made with gliding strides, dress billowing and dancing about her as though a non-existent breeze had come to play. Her expression neutral, she would dip her chin and offer refined, close-lipped smiles to any who greeted her, taking care in particular to catch the eyes of those familiar to her. In particular, a subtle wave of fingers was cast in the direction of Miss Harper and Miss Seil Winters. She would have singled Marshal out as well had she spotted him—surely he would have come to this—but there was no sign of the rosey-eyed boy yet.

She had battled with the conflict of which end of the spectrum to land in terms of arrival: conscientiously early, or fashionably late. It seemed her restless steps had hastened her towards the former, the ballroom still in the early stages of attendant arrival when she had joined the numbers. In fact, when she had made it to her designated table, only one two others had arrived ahead of her.

"Mister Holmwood," she greeted the one familiar individual, using a guise of overt and almost theatrical formality to veil the slight stir of discomfort. They ought to have sorted it out by now, one might have thought. But there was still a level of uncertainty. He had been marked once by the hags. She had thought Lestrange to have turned his back on their calling when they had chased after them at the ball. Only to have him be separated from the rest of them, spared an assault by the spiders, and spark an urgent plea from Martin not to turn his cloak back again. Would she ever really be able to know for certain if Flash could be trusted again? That thought dug a hollow pit in her throat, enough almost to make that smile falter.

To spare herself having to keep eye contact, she distracted herself with the other individual at the table. "And Miss Hunt, if I'm not mistaken," she smiled, recognizing the girl from class. "Ravenclaw, no?" Had it been only she and Flash, she would have taken a lay of the table, circling it slowly as took stock of the others tending to them. Instead, she had to be strategic and subtle about her scouting, angling her steps around in an arc on her approach of the pair so as to give her the most browsing time until she found her own seat. One of the names was relatively unfamiliar to her despite shared classes; a second, as a fellow prefect, quite the opposite. Neither unpleasant company.

But then the third. At the sight of Gray's name, her smile did lose its composure. Lips twitched at the corner, observant individuals being able to easily detect some level of disquiet at the sight of his name. She had to fight the urge to lay a judgemental finger upon that nameplate. What satisfaction she might have had to just drag it... slowly... across the surface of the tablecloth... to guide it on a long journey down a short path towards the precipice of the table's edge and just let... gravity... take over. And what was worse... the place setting next to it was her own.

Reflexively, her gaze had flickered up to seek Flash's, perhaps silently seeking if he'd had a similar sense of disillusionment of this particular table arrangement as she. Not that she would be able to read his features even if he did. And a moment later, she had forced herself to step past the chair, a defiantly polite smile firmly back in place as she eased herself into her chair in dignified repose. The only thing that had stopped her from her impulsive desire, the knowledge that there may have been onlookers and that it would surely have been a stain upon her reputation.

She was just reaching for a letter at her setting when a disturbance sounded from elsewhere in the room. Swivelling her torso in her seat, she turned to seek the source of the screeching. Eyes landed on a strawberry haired youth whose face was twisted in absolute anguish as a scarlet letter spouted something Evelynn could only partially make out. "What in heavens is that?" she intoned, never before having witnessed a howler event. Concern etched itself subtly into faint lines creasing a scrutinising brow. But as many questions as she might have had about the letter's contents, or the enchantment itself, Harper was clearly distraught. The polite thing to do would be to limit how much attention it had drawn and leave her to the consolation of her closer friends. Not that she couldn't continue the inquire somewhat privily in her own way...

"That was Pride's voice, was it not?" Of the two of them, Flash would obviously be the more familiar. But really... who else could have stirred such an anguished reaction in the girl? "Were you aware that he had left the school? And speaking of..." She stopped herself just before the addition of 'when did he return?', instead concluding, "...it seems my own manners have taken leave as well." A smile returned itself in the raven-haired Ravenclaw's direction. "My apologies." She extended a hand across the table in an offer to shake. "I seem to have failed to introduce myself properly. I am Decipio. Evelynn Decipio. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. You both seem to have earned yourselves quite the prizes there." She nudged her chin towards their letters and sweets. "And I daresay yours have fared better than his.." A somewhat satisfied smirk shadowed the corner of her mouth as eyes grazed over the somewhat squashed box displayed at Gray's seat. "Have you opened them yet?" Almost certain she knew who her own letter must have been sourced by, it and the accompanying box lay ignored for the moment.

[font=century gothic]ACTION: Taking a seat at Table 4, chatting with Eun-Ji and Flash, getting distracted momentarily by Winnie's howler, ignoring her own treats/letter[/font]

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@Flash Holmwood,@Percival Gray, @Evelynn Decipio, @Eun-ji Lee Hunt

Adlai wasn't sure what to think when she received an invitation to a valentines day social event. She had wanted to go to several before just to see what it was like but she was unsure as to who she might know who would also be there. Thus, not wanting to take the chance of being a wall-flower she didn't go. However, this year she wanted to be a bit more adventurous and thus decided to go.

Lucky when she arrived at her assigned table she was able to recognize one person, that being Flash Holmwood. However, he was already conversing with two other young ladies so she sat a small ways from them, not wanting to crowd. While waiting to see if anyone else would appear she opened the letters with her name on them. One, of course, from her closest friend Elena. She felt bad for not have thinking to get her anything. After all she did love Elena, just not in a romantic way. The second however being from a sender she did not know, Percival Gray.

Nonetheless he proclaimed to be her "hero." She found that to be a bit presumptuous but regardless she appreciated their compliment of smelling good. Which she also found a bit odd since she had never noticed anyone sniffing her before. Overall, they were both lovely letters that she would surely cherish for the following days, weeks, and maybe even years to come.

@Flash Holmwood @Eun-ji Lee Hunt @Adlai Rod @Evelynn Decipio @Santario Martin

It had been a long three months since he had set foot in the castle, a time where he felt all but alone. Ever since the disaster of the previous ball, he felt nothing but lost. Continually spiraling into the deepest depths of his mind, he finally reached rock bottom upon the death of a woman he looked up to greatly... Grandma. She was one of the two leading figures in the family whose wisdom held no bounds, whatever situation you were in she'd always do her best to find a solution within reason. He didn't know about her passing until they brought him back home without notice, only then did he reach the bottom of his sanity.

When his parents made the decision to send him back, Percival was still incredibly sick. Not just from the grieving but from the nightmare events at Hogwarts and what something inside of him was doing. He had long forgotten how he got himself into this state, but as time went on his health gradually began to decline, yet nothing was done to help himself. He didn't want anybody's sympathy, Gray got himself into this mess and he was going to pull himself out of it, no matter the cost or consequences.

Once the arrival of the tea party came, he didn't have any doubts about going. Considering it was the day after his return, he had no interest in saying hello to his fellow dormmates or students. Not even the girl he admired most, Santario. She didn't have respect or decency to answer his letters, why should he make the effort for her?

Percival finally arrived at the event wearing a fine black suit, which didn't really look "fine" anymore considering it was scruffy. Not only that, but his hair seemed to be not looked after at all. For a kid who was normally well kept, this was a very odd occurrence indeed.

Gray took his time to reach the table that was selected for him, and upon seeing one of the participants a small frown crossed his lips. Evelynn, a girl with who he always had a battle with was sitting in a chair next to his. If he was in the right frame of mind he'd be excited at the possibility of teasing the annoying girl, but right now he didn't have any energy for fun at all. Hesitantly, he walked to the chair and placed himself down. If their eyes met he'd only give her a brief nod, even that was hard for him to do "Evelynn..." he said in almost a whisper voice, knowing she'd jump at the chance to really get on his nerves especially when he was at his lowest.

Slowly, his eyes would gaze up to see the likes of Flash. His fellow dormmate didn't really see eye to eye either, but as time grew they got some kind of understanding for each other. He was alright, just not the type of person Gray would be good buddies with. Giving him a weak nod, he shot a glance to the fresh faces on the table. Two girls, presumably 1st years were happily chatting amongst themselves. Maybe later on he'd get to know them more, but if things got out of hand at the event like it always did then that may have to be missed.

There was still one last person to arrive, and once he saw the name he couldn't believe his luck. Willow, the girl who dragged him all the way to the med bay was sitting next to him. Out of all the people she was the one he had some kind of interest in, for reasons more than one...

"Why is my box crushed..." Gray said nonchalantly as he tiredly looked down, seeing some of the sticky chocolate icing covering the top. It was almost as if someone had punched it multiple times out of spite. For now, all he did was simply stare at it, expressionless and pale. Was everyone really against him at this point?

Action: Stares blankly at the crushed box

☁ Interacting ☁
@Flash Holmwood, @Percival Gray, @Evelynn Decipio, @Adlai Rod, & @Eun-ji Lee Hunt

Willow wasn't exactly planning on doing anything for Valentine's Day. It was supposed to be the one year anniversary with her girlfriend... well... ex-girlfriend now. But sadly, or perhaps not, that wasn't the case. She had received an invitation to a Valentine's Tea Party, presumably held by the Professors. It seemed too well organized to have been put together by students. Something in her hoped that Astrea would be there, another part hoped she wouldn't be anywhere near it.

The breakup was still fresh in Willow's mind as she got ready for the tea party on Valentine's Day. In front of a mirror she started with her makeup, carefully. Just because she didn't want to go, didn't mean she wouldn't look cute for it. Her thoughts wandered. She left the relationship feeling content with the time that they had spent together, but it almost made it that much harder to walk away from. There was no- fighting. No explosive reason to separate. They were just... kind of in a lull. But Willow did miss her. Eventually she hoped they would move to be friends, because someone like Astrea was someone to hold onto. Willow set down her makeup brush. Having finished a very clean heart around her eyes dusted with some glitter. Some light pink blush to bring color into her face and a light layer of lip gloss finished the look.

A part of her wanted to take all the makeup off- another feeling of wrongness creeping up on her. Her hand quickly but gently laid the mirror down so she couldn't look at her face any longer. Couldn't feel like she was looking at a stranger. Shaving her head had released some of that stress, but it still seemed to linger. She paused to give Buttons a couple of head scratches before pulling some clothes out and getting dressed. A fun candy hearts button up was tucked into crisp black pants that had a nice crease going down the front. White Doc Marten's and some pink dangly flower earrings finished the look. Her skin seemed to crawl with the outfit, she continued to ignore it.

Her footsteps felt heavy as she made her way up to the Ballroom from the first floor where her common room was. If it ended up not being fun, she could always leave! There was nothing holding her there. This was the mantra she repeated to herself.

As her eyes scanned the ballroom for her table, she already spotted a familiar someone sitting at what seemed to be table four. She stopped for a moment, rearing back before making a running leap at Flash. He always caught her, and this time was no exception. He always seemed to know when she was coming and Willow had no idea how Permission Given from Flash. "Lucky me that you're here, I didn't want to come." Her smile was tense as she spoke in a quiet voice that hopefully only he could here. He knew about the breakup, knew more about what was going on with Willow than anyone in the school.

Pulling away she tried to make her smile something more natural as she took stock of the table, she was the last one to arrive. Besides Flash she only recognized Evelyn and Percival. The other two were strangers, but that was only an opportunity for friendship. Evelyn and her never really got time to interact, but Percival... well... she had plenty of interaction with him. But their relationship was something that she was now confused about. The beginning was hostile, the next time they met they dueled. But then... they helped each other in the basement when Hufflepuff had fell and Slytherin was trying to figure out if they should help. And she had helped him out of the ball when he ended up passing out from something, though she still wasn't sure what. She knew people could change, but there was still that bubble of irritation that came from seeing his face. Still he looked- worn. As she took a seat she leaned over slightly, mild concern lacing its way loosely around her words. "Are you alright?"

One thing that couldn't help but make her smile falter was the baked goods that she took a peek at as she took her seat. They were... crying? She tried to peer at the other cupcakes around her but couldn't get a terribly good look. Had someone heard about her breakup? Her breakdown? Her eyebrows were creased in worry. Her hands hesitantly opened the letter, taking a breath before pulling it open. This couldn't have been a cruel joke from Astrea- she was much more tactful than a school joke like this.

As she read it, her blood began to boil. First at being called a weeping Willow. Sure she cried a lot, but no need to point it out. Her eyes frantically read the page, being told that she was too sensitive which made her unavailable for friendship with this person. Mentioned that she was single- but mentioning a boyfriend so they obviously didn't know much about her love life. And finally... being told to smile more.

But what made her stomach drop... was the fact that it was from none other, than Percival Gray.

For once in her life she attempted to stifle the tears that were slowly working their way up her throat. What a cruel and mean joke, to invite her here under the pretense that something lovely would be waiting. But, nothing that Percival wouldn't do. She turned to fully face him, her back pointedly to Flash so he couldn't see what she was doing. Hopefully he was too distracted by the other guests to do anything about what she was about to do. Pulling the letter under the table but still available for Percival to see, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at the letter. A subtle threat. Her voice was low in volume and in tone.

"What kind of- sick person are you really? I pulled you out of that ball when I could've left you there and this is how you treat me?" There was a good chance the rest of the table could hear her, but this was between her and Percival. "The last couple times I have seen you I have been- nothing but kind. Over emotional? That's bold coming from someone that thinks the purity of his blood makes him better than others, when nothing of his character can actually back that up."

Her face was almost as red as the signature color of the holiday. Her hands were gripped tightly around the letter and her wand, shaking slightly. To be made an absolute joke of in such a public manner, in such a bold way. Truly he must've thought nothing of her.

☁ Outfit Reference ☁

Reducio

“It’s a pleasure to see you too,” Eun-ji said with a smile. Flash’s gentlemanly behavior was charming and the genuine happiness when he saw her felt like a balm on her battered soul. She took a seat, letting him help with her chair. Nobody has ever treated her like this before so his action brought a light blush to her cheeks. Still, some of the nervousness about the letter remained lurking beneath the surface. “Thank you,” the witch told the boy as he poured tea for her and she too chuckled at his little inside joke. “You spoil me too much…We should do this more often.” The alone part was left unsaid. She didn’t want to scare him away. She really wanted to talk to him more but judging from what she’d seen so far and from the letters alone, Flash was obviously very popular. This was confirmed once he replied to her question about others. Not only did he know all of them but, excluding Percival, he seemed to be close to all of them. Eun-ji was honestly scared to ask for more of his time so she simply nodded and made sure to remember the information about Willow. The girl in question seemed very important to the Slytherin. “I’ll do her best to treat her well then.” She said sincerely.

Before the two of them could say anything else, another girl marched towards their table. Eun-ji would be lying if she said she was not at all disheartened by the interruption but it was to be expected. This was a social event after all. If nothing else, the young lady definitely outshined Eun-ji’s fancy clothes with her own outfit. Good. The Ravenclaw was slowly getting used to her new wardrobe but she still didn’t like to draw too much attention to herself. “Yes, you are correct...on both accounts.” She confirmed without much hesitation. Observing the newcomer, she noticed her smile falter when passing Percival's nametag. I wonder what kind of person he is. Once again, before they could say much more, their introductions were interrupted. This time by the commotion from the neighbouring table. “Poor Winnie indeed. Although…I can’t help but wonder if it isn’t better this way. ” Eun-ji had met Matt during their showcase of talents and he spent the whole time on stage spitting dirt on Levi, who was not even there to defend himself. Now she didn’t know whether it was deserved or not but it definitely wasn’t entertaining for anyone involved. Not to mention Winnie’s love for the boy seemed to turn into somewhat unhealthy obsession. Not that she would ever voice that opinion aloud to her fellow Ravenclaw. It was not her place to judge.

“That's okay, it is quite distracting environment. It's nice to meet you Evelynn.” Polite, Eun-ji could do polite. In fact, she was excellent at it. “My full name is Eun-ji Lee Hunt.” She didn’t want to be known just as the Hunt girl. Were it not for her mother, she would have already dropped that name. Thankfully, given her mixed heritage no one would probably connect her with the pureblood family of the same name. It was pretty common last name too. “Have you opened them yet?” The question came just as she was starting to get more comfortable. The Ravenclaw side-eyed Flash’s letters. Perhaps I could ask him not to open them here? In the end, she wasn’t brave enough to bring even more attention to them and opted to simply shake her head, extremely grateful when another girl approached their little group. Flash was as attentive as ever, which was a perfect way to keep him distracted.

“I don’t believe we have met properly, nice to meet you Adlai.” Eun-ji offered her hand to the newcomer. Of course they seen each other in class but that was about it. “I’m Eun-ji.” While she was not here to make friends, she also didn’t want to leave Adlai hanging. She reminded her of how she used to be. Too afraid to put herself out there. Not that this changed much but the reason was definitely different and she did grow to be a tad more confident. Perhaps I’m reading her all wrong. It was indeed far too soon to tell.

After that, it didn’t take long for the others to show up as well. Percival was first, looking a bit worse for wear. Was this usual? Probaby not. She had seen the same look in a mirror couple of times after her grandma passed. Something was definitely going on but Eun-ji was not here to figure out what. She had enough on her plate already. Willow, well Wilow came in like a hurricane. Eun-ji almost choked on her tea but managed to save her composure at the very last second. Flash on the other hand obviously knew what was up and caught the girl immediately. Eun-ji’s chest tightened upon seeing the two of them interact. It really felt like she was his sister and the Ravenclaw suddenly realised how much she missed her family. Clutching at her letters she suddenly found her cup of tea extremely interesting. Too many things have changed for her recently. It was still hard to wrap her head around it. Finally, a soft smile reappeared on her face as she looked back at the blonde. “Good evening, Willow.” She greeted the girl properly before letting her read her letters in peace. Who ever thought this was a good idea? Well not Willow apparently.

Eun-ji shrank into her chair once the Hufflepuff started questioning Percival about her letter. Did he write something hurtful about her? Well, considering her words, it sure seemed like it. Of course Flash was immediately up in arms. Understandable reaction, given how close they apparently were. Eun-ji wished someone got angry on her behalf like this...not that she wanted to be in a similar situation. It was not a nice situation to be in. She was immediately transported back to the Hunts manor. People kept constantly battling each other there as well and the witch hated it. I knew this was a bad idea. It didn’t feel right to get up and leave however. She wanted to be here to help, should it seem like Flash needed it.

OPEN TO INTERACTION

───Interactions─── Reducio [font=century gothic] @Flash Holmwood @Eun-ji Lee Hunt @Percival Gray @Willow Anderson @Adlai Rod [/font]

OUTFIT Reducio Chanel Spring 2022 Collection

────Mentions──── Reducio [font=century gothic] n/a [/font]

Historically, Evelynn could always count on Flash as a light in the darkness that was Hogwarts' relative lack of property and decorum. Well dressed, where others wore shabby garb; conservatively mannered, where others were liberal in their outbursts; and acutely aware of how his actions could be perceived and impact his hierarchy in the school, where the rest... were either ignorant or uncaring. His presence had—to her—always felt like a breath of fresh air within a suffocating swell of incorrigible presumption and recklessness. There had been that hiccup towards the end of last year, when the letters had taken a hostile turn, but every interaction since then had seemed to align more and more with her usual impressions of him.

Of course, she could never quite be certain anymore how authentic that really was. Still, for the moment, at least, she would take him at face value. Even his responding commentary of the nearby outburst had seemed in-line with his usual demeanour. A slight side-eye had been returned back in the direction of that distant table at his commentary of "displeasure", but she would file that away for a later time. That hadn't been the first time someone had hinted to something less than noble about the boy. But if that was a pattern... if there was something behind what had always seemed a well-mannered face and manicured presentation... now was not the time to inquire.

"Mn.." A thoughtful hum was all she would have uttered in that instant, allowing the moment to pass the group by without brightening the spotlight of scrutiny upon them. Besides, introductions were had already been set into motion.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Miss Hunt," Evelynn returned when the Ravenclaw girl had offered her name, withdrawing her hand and moving it to pluck at her dress as Flash interjected about tea. "Ah, yes please."

Teacup and saucer were moved delicately forward to ease the boy's reach. She watched as steam billowed out over the edge of the china, serene in the way that it fell like a cascading waterfall to dissipate in the valley of the little saucer below. It had been some time since the last time she'd held such a view. These events had been rather commonplace when the Host Club was in full swing, but leadership and organization of that club had dwindled and vanished some time ago. A quiet thank you would be uttered as she pulled back her tea, and she leaned in to take in the aroma. She could already tell it was as yet too hot to drink, and so she lowered it to her place setting and turned her attention to the newcomers.

"And I'm Decipio." She would offer a hand to the girl (Adlai) who had sat herself betwixt herself and Miss Hunt once introductions with the latter had concluded.

That's about as far as she would get, however, before a shadow in her peripherals would pull her attention just as the horrid sound of her name slipped in a whisper from a slimy tongue would reach her ears. She certainly wouldn't allow her disappointment to show. In fact, if anything, Gray's approach only made her sit all the straighter, nose lifting as she looked down its length at him through a lidded eyes. He really had the audacity to use her name so casually. And to come to this event looking like... that. A brow perked as she scrutinized his figure. His greeting was met with temporary silence as she took in his less than kempt appearance. From the tousle of his hair that seemed unusually uncaring, to the messy hang of his attire. Eyes narrowed almost imperceptivity. There was something... off about it. About him. Even the way he had asked about the box. She might have expected him to snap at her immediately with a accusatory comment. Instead, he looked almost dejected in entirely un-Gray like fashion.

She almost—almost—had a mind to ask him if he was alright. Anderson did it for her. And as the Hufflepuff swooped in, Evelynn turned her focus away with an aloof and dismissive, "Good day, Gray," and occupied herself with her tea. She would have engaged the others in conversation, but curiosity demanded that she pay attention to the nearby exchange, one carefully monitored from the corner of her eye as she lazily wafted the tea below her nose. The illusion of her leaving them to their peace was cracked slightly when the emotion in Anderson's voice and Flash's interest in his own—and then her—letter led Evelynn to trade tea for letter, however.

Brows flared almost instantly as she made immediate note of the sender. Never in her life would she had expected to receive a penned note from... Gray. She always found letters to be something on the more personal side. It took time and thought to write. However, as grey eyes scanned the contents, she couldn't hold back a snort of derision. Seconds later, and she had held it out for Flash to take should he so wish to read it.

"Pardon my interjection, but I might hazard to say that it is possible that whatever has been written in your letter, Gray may not have written it. I am sensing a theme here. Thus far, three of us have received some sort of correspondence from him; although by your reactions, I might hazard to believe yours are less than polite. However, I can guarantee his was not the hand that penned mine." She could hardly contain the irritation that twitched the corner of her lip. "Apparently, you consider me 'your other half', Gray. 'Like a sister' to you, I am. You 'can't imagine a day without me by your side'," she rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Complete codswallop. Someone is clearly playing you for a fool. Perhaps they are the ones that tampered with your box."

[font=century gothic]ACTION: Chatting, reading her letter, absolute scepticism[/font]

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